Misconceptions
by iwonderwhatwouldhappen
Summary: After Simon Bricker left her room that night, Cora has barely been able to get a word out of Robert but she can take it no longer. Just because I wasnt happy with how it ended on the tv show
1. Chapter 1

_I wasn't too impressed with how the whole Simon Bricker thing was dealt with so I wrote my own version of how it could all be resolved, probably no way near as good as far too OTT but hey, enjoy, please R and R_

Cora sat at her dressing table; she was clearly ready for dinner however in her head she was not ready to face anyone. Robert hadn't said a word to her for three days now it was beginning to take its toll on their relationship. He hadn't even asked her to explain, he simply assumed that if he hadn't come back when he did, she would have taken Mr Bricker to her bed. The thought that, even now, Robert didn't know her at all made her ache with sorrow and she made no effort to stem the tears that fell from her eyes. A sudden light click behind her made her spin around and awaken from her thoughts. After her encounter with Mr Bricker a few days ago, she had learnt not to simply expect it to be a servant. She was justified in her assumptions as well. Robert stepped through the door and caught her eye for a moment before she looked sadly away. It had been a momentary glance but he had noted the pinkness in her eyes and the tear trails on her cheeks.

"Cora" he said, slightly reproachfully. He opened his mouth to start the conversation he longed to have but thought better of it "are you coming down, Mama will be waiting"

"Is this the last time you going to speak to me tonight or will there be an actual conversation at some point" she replied turning around and briskly wiping the tears from her cheeks. Robert looked down toward the floor and kept his stone expression

"This is not the time Cora" he started but she stood quickly from the chair and was in front of him in seconds.

"It never will be Robert" she replied, her tears breaking through once again "when is an appropriate moment for you explain to your wife that you think she's a whore" she covered her mouth and turned away, half with the shock of what she had said and half to stifle the sobs that threatened to overcome her.

" Cora" Robert replied in shock. For a moment there was silence as both reeled from the shock of what was said. Cora composed herself, holding onto the bed post before turning back to her husband.

"That's what you think isn't it" she answered after a while, raising her voice "you honestly think that if you hadn't come back when you did, then..." she stopped and shook her head, turning away

"I don't think that, Cora I don't think that at all, I just"

"Then why won't you talk to me Robert" she shouted "why won't you look at me except with that air of disappointment and disgust"

"Please Cora" Robert shouted back "can we discuss this later, our guests…"

"Oh yes" cried Cora walking past him to the door "let's all go down and have dinner shall we" she flung open the door with a sob and walked out onto the landing

"Cora wait" he cried and followed, this was certainly not how he wanted people to meet his wife "stop this now" he shouted

"Why, we can't keep the guests waiting just to save our marriage" she shouted back as she stalked toward the stairs. Robert caught up with her in a few strides and caught her by the arm. "Let go of me" she sobbed and freed herself of his grip. If she had been thinking clearly she would have noticed how close to the top of the stairs she was, she would have held the banister as she swung around once more to speak to him but the tears in her eyes prevented her from seeing exactly where she stood. "if you knew how much I loved you…" she began as she took a step forward. It all happened so quickly that Robert wasn't sure how he had managed to react as he did. He noticed, looking still at the ground, that her foot had missed its mark on the step, he saw her fly forward and heard her terrible scream. In a moment however, he had grabbed hold of her and pulled her back from the stairs with every ounce of strength he had. It was the sickening smack that followed that made him look at his wife's face finally. He turned to see where she had landed and felt the colour drain from him. She lay, head burst and bleeding on the floor. The blood stain on the stone wall behind her showed clearly where she had smacked her head as he propelled her. Now she lay very still, her eyes closed and blood seeping slowly from her temple. Robert covered his mouth with his hands and tried to breathe. Before he knew what was happening however he heard a shout from along the corridor

"Mama" Lady Edith ran across the carpet and knelt beside her mother; Tom also ran across the floor but did not make for Cora. Instead he stormed over to Robert and ensured his fist made full contact with Lord Grantham's face. Robert went flying back to the ground with a cry as Mary left her room and ran over to stop the fight.

"What are you doing Tom, what on earth is going on" she cried

"he attacked her" Tom shouted, horror clear in his face "we saw him, he just attacked her"


	2. Chapter 2

Edith had not been looking forward to dinner that evening, ever since she had decided on taking Marigold she had felt edgy and nervous, just waiting for the day to be over so tomorrow could begin. She had it all planned in her head, she would wait until Mrs Drew was collecting the children and would be distracted in the playground full of children, then she would swoop in and take her, hide behind the school and make her exit on the bus that passed a few minutes after the bell rang. It would all work perfectly; all she had to do was get through the evening without anyone suspecting what she was planning.

"Ready to go down" Toms voice awoke her from her daydreaming as he popped his head around the door. She smiled a weak smile and nodded. Tom noticed that she was pale and knew of course that something wasn't right but he couldn't push it, if she wanted to share she knew the offer was there, he had told her earlier. Instead he simply held open the door and escorted her down the landing. As they came up to the corner however Tom was surprised to hear shouts coming from the other end of the landing. It was his Lordship, that much he recognised and he quickened his pace to see if he could help. As he neared the stairs he could see that it was Lady Grantham who shouted back at him but the next thing he saw made him stop dead. To Tom it seem as though Lady Grantham was very upset, she made to descend the stairs but his Lordship lunged forward and grabbed her arm causing her to scream. He then threw her backward, away from the stairs and into the solid brick wall beside them. The noise of Cora's head against the stone made his stomach churn. Edith ran forward calling out to her mother but Tom could only focus on the cruel act he had just witnessed. He charged forward and punched his father in law squarely on the chin. In a moment, Mary was holding him steading and asking to be told what was happening. Tom kept his eyes firmly on Lord Grantham, who sat now, holding his jaw on the ground.

"He attacked her" he shouted, throwing his hand backward toward Cora's lifeless form "we saw him, he just attacked her"

"No" Robert cried out in response "I didn't I swear it, I could never, Cora!" he cried and tried to move toward her but Tom was in his way in seconds.

"You can't deny it, I saw you; you grabbed her and threw her against the wall. We both saw it" Tom was shaking with shock and anger, Edith had begun to sob now and the servants were beginning to gather.

"Tom you can't be serious" Mary answered him quietly "Papa tell him this is nonsense" Robert passed his hands over his eyes and took a breath

"I, I never meant to hurt her" he stammered out. Mary heard her own gasp echo round her as Bates, Baxter, Anna and Carson watched the scene before them.

"Papa" Mary whispered

"She was falling, she tripped on the stairs, I tried to catch her" he explained, his anger shining through his tears "I was only trying to help, I"

"I heard you arguing, she shouted at you to let her go, do you really…" Tom started again but was cut short by Edith's desperate plea

"Oh just shut up" she cried, now cradling her mother's head "can we please just send for Dr Clarkson and get Mama a bandage before things get any worse" even before she had started speaking Anna was half way down the stairs going toward the telephone

"I'll phone him" she called after her. Carson and Baxter moved toward Cora and instructed Tom to help them lift her back to her room.

"Let me" Robert said moving forward. For a moment he thought Tom might actually drop Cora to have another go at him but instead Tom just looked at him, then at Bates and said.

"I want to call the police, it would be better if you stayed away for now" this was the tipping point for Robert, the anger he felt toward the situation and now the anger at being accused of assault was more than he could bear.

"No" he shouted "I was trying to help, you can't stop me from seeing her, she's my wife" he charged after the group and made to take his wife from their arms but in a moment Bates had him secure. He addressed him loudly and firmly, looking into his eyes.

"This is not going to help" he said calmly "I know you didn't mean to hurt her, you were trying to save her and when she comes around she will say the same thing. But you have to show that you are trying to do everything you can for her now and that means, that means leaving her alone with Baxter to rest while the doctor comes, come on now, let's go downstairs. I'll get Carson to explain to our guests and get dinner served" Bates' calm, controlled voice seemed to piece the shroud of anger that covered Robert at that moment and he let himself be led downstairs to the library.

He knew of course that the guests in the living room would be wondering what on earth was going on by now but that wasn't bothering him at all. Now that the gathering and the panicking was away, he had nothing to do but give in to his thoughts. His thoughts offered him little comfort however as all he could think of was the scream and the image of Cora lying on the ground, blood seeping from her head.

"Will you go and find out how she is" He asked Bates almost immediately "and tell me when Dr Clarkson arrives, I need to know what it happening"

"Of course my lord" Bates replied and left swiftly. He didn't think for a second that his lordship would ever intentionally hurt his wife but Branson's account had been quite clear and he was very angry indeed. He thought it would be a little too far to call the police, they would be under no obligation to do anything anyway since it was not a criminal offence to hit ones wife. If she died however, Lord Grantham was in very deep waters indeed.


	3. Chapter 3

In the bedroom Cora stirred slightly, she felt the wave of nausea and the pain in her head before she even opened her eyes. Her slight groan was heard by Mrs Hughes however, who had been summoned as one who has had experience with dealing with wounds. She moved to the bed and sat beside her mistress. She couldn't believe the story Carson had told her but the evidence was in front of her face. As Cora's eyes fluttered open Mrs Hughes gave a sigh of relief and laid a hand upon her arm.

"Oh my lady" she said softly "you gave us quite a scare there I can tell you" Cora moved her hand to her head and closed her eyes again. As she did, Mrs Hughes noted the bruise on her arm where Robert had grabbed her. She left her eyes there for a second before deciding not to mention it. Smiling, she lifted the ice pack she had been holding back to Cora's bruised head. "Here we are my lady, this will help" Cora winced as the ice pressed against her injury but did not pull away.

"Where's his lordship" she asked quietly, surprised at how much effort it took to speak. Mrs Hughes looked over at Edith who was hovering near the bed

"He's downstairs" she said with an air of resignation "Tom didn't think it was a good idea for him to be up here after, well you know, what happened" Edith put her hands against her lips to stop the sobs from returning and looked at her mother's confused face.

"Why" she asked, pushing away the ice pack now "what happened" Edith opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by Mrs Hughes

"er I think she needs to remember it for herself my lady" she said turning around "if we are to have the truth"

"Remember what" Cora asked "remember how I hit my head, surely Robert has explained it all to you" she glanced at Mrs Hughes but settled her gaze on her daughter "Edith"

"We saw him Mama" she sobbed, "me and Tom we both saw it"

"I'm afraid there is some disparity between the versions of events my lady" Mrs Hughes said getting up to comfort Edith

"How can that be" Cora replied "if you saw Edith then you will know that I slipped at the top of the stairs, your father caught hold of me and pulled me back"

"He slammed you into the wall mama" Edith replied moving over to take her mother's hand. "we heard you arguing and saw him throw …"

"That's enough" Cora snapped, and then clutched at her head which spun and ached violently.

"Mama" Edith cried and held onto her mother. Cora took a few deep breaths and held out her hand to calm Edith

"I'm alright my darling" she said softly "but you must understand this, had your father not acted in the way he did I would have ended up at the bottom of the stairs. We were arguing, yes we were but I know Robert. There was no malice in his actions, I want him in here" she finished flicking her eyes toward Mrs Hughes. She nodded and stood to leave, thoroughly relieved by what she had just heard. As she got to the door she passed Dr Clarkson who entered looking very concerned. Behind him, Tom stood stone faced and pale and Mrs Hughes took him aside.

"You have got a big apology to make to your father in law" Mrs Hughes started as soon as the door was closed. She noted he was about to protest but held up her hand "her ladyship has come round and told us the exact same story as Lord Grantham, she thinks it ridiculous that he has been accused of hurting her and wants him to go and sit with her. I think you should be the one to fetch him" the look on Mrs Hughes face was enough to prevent Tom from retaliating with an argument so he turned and descended the stairs, dread filling him more with every step.

As he entered the library, Tom saw Robert get to his feet and place down his whisky. Tom wanted nothing more than to disappear right then but knew he had no choice but to get this over with. He needn't have worried however as Lord Grantham was more than happy to do the talking.

"She's come round ?" he asked hopefully and on receiving a nod, looked up at the ceiling and gave a prayer of thanks "oh thank goodness" he walked across to Tom who still looked as though he couldn't say a word. "She's told you what happened hasn't she"

"I, look Lord Grantham I"

"Don't apologise Tom" he responded, putting an arm on his son in laws "you saw what you saw and I can see why you thought as you did. I am actually grateful that you acted as you did, I know now that you value us, your family, higher than any social standing or financial benefit we give you. It also tells me that if you think it is right for you to leave and take Sibbie with you, when you feel so strongly about us, then it must be the right decision"

Tom looked at his father in law agog, this was not the response he had expected and found now that no words could possibly form themselves after this. He let Lord Grantham past and sat himself on the sofa with a sigh of relief.


	4. Chapter 4

Waiting outside for Dr Clarkson to finish his examination was almost as nerve racking as waiting downstairs had been. He had known Bates and Carson would have persuaded Tom not call the police; it had never been an issue for him, but knowing that Cora lay unconscious a few feet above him had sent him into a frenzy he didn't understand. He loved Cora, he had always known that. Maybe that was why it was so hard to forgive what had happened with Mr Bricker the other night. His frenzy was not caused by a simple love of his wife, it was a need. It was the fact that he needed her and had only just realised it. If she had chosen Mr Bricker over him he would not have been able to cope with anything anymore, if she had died on the stairs that evening, his life would have been over. Yes he needed that woman but still there was something else, the slow painful realisation that even though he would not have been able to cope without her had she left him, he might have actually let her go had she asked him. Cora's happiness mattered more to him than his own, he knew that now but it was painful to think that he had not been making her happy. If she had died from her injuries that night, she would have died after an unhappy last few weeks. It was this thought alone that had struck him cold and sent him into a nervous frenzy of agitation. Knowing that this was not going to happen was like having a cart lifted from your body after it had pushed all the air out of you. He felt light headed, relieved, and able to breathe again. Every second that passed on the landing however sent a wicked thought into his brain that there might be something wrong, some grave haemorrhage that could yet take her away before he could apologise. Finally though, the door swung open and Dr Clarkson stepped aside to let Robert finally reach his wife.

She held out her hand to him gently and he gave suddenly into the emotion he had been fighting for the last hour or so. Cora too let her tears flow as he husband took her hand and kissed it for all it was worth. He gently scooped her up and with sobbing, endless apologies, he buried his face into her shoulder, holding her too him tightly. Cora held him too, muttering her own apologies and telling him over and over that she loved him. The couple revelled in the moment they had been given and let nothing in the world around them interrupt their moment of reconciliation and overreaching, powerful love.


End file.
